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Matt Cassel has been the anti-Donovan McNabb for the last two weeks: no expectations, insane production. It's hard to believe that Cassel is the same guy who, in the immortal words of Tom Curran, had the "pocket presence of a squirrel." Name another quarterback that has improved so much, so fast.

Those around Cassel deserve much of the credit. Once it sunk in that Tom Brady wasn't coming back, the rest of New England's historic '07 offense began to improve. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels gets people open, no matter what scheme they are facing. He should have his choice of jobs this off-season if he wants to leave. After a shaky start, the offensive line regained its footing when guard Stephen Neal returned. And Wes Welker and Randy Moss would make any quarterback look better. (Except for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who always looks like Ryan Fitzpatrick.)

Cassel's growing calm in the pocket has been the key. He now evades the rush and keeps looking downfield. He's athletic enough to throw better on the run. Cassel can make all the throws and is managing the game smarter, like when he quick snapped the Dolphins on a third-and-one QB sneak. Cassel also realized Sunday that Randy Moss doesn't need to be open to make a catch. If only more teams would disrespect Randy with single coverage.

No fantasy quarterback has put together a two-game run like Matt Cassel since Aaron Gleeman's hero Billy Volek, so it seems insane to bench him. But are Cassel owners out there that confident about his chances against Pittsburgh?

The Steelers own the best defense in football. They have the defense Bill Belichick goes to sleep dreaming about; the defense the Patriots are supposed to be. The Pittsburgh secondary should be somewhat vulnerable, but most teams can't stop the pass rush long enough to find out.

Like the Colts, the Patriots will probably try to go for a lot of big plays against Pittsburgh. But Cassel isn't throwing for 400 yards this week. The '07 Patriots wouldn't have either. My profound respect for defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau and the Pittsburgh front seven is why Cassel is ranked as a QB2 this week. Even behind Johnny Overtime, Donovan McNabb. Let's see if everyone else agrees, while Rotoworld gets poll happy this Thanksgiving eve. A great Turkey Day to all.



Week 13 Quarterbacks

Rank	Player Name	Opponent	Notes
1	Tony Romo	vs. SEA	Probable(right finger)
2	Peyton Manning	at CLE	-
3	Drew Brees	at TB	-
4	Kurt Warner	at PHI	-
5	Brett Favre	vs. DEN	-
6	Jay Cutler	at NYJ	-
7	Philip Rivers	vs. ATL	-
8	Aaron Rodgers	vs. CAR	-
9	Matt Ryan	at SD	-
10	Ben Roethlisberger	at NE	-
11	Donovan McNabb	vs. ARZ	-
12	Chad Pennington	at STL	-
13	Sage Rosenfels	vs. JAC	-
14	Jeff Garcia	vs. NO	-
15	Shaun Hill	at BUF	-
16	David Garrard	at HOU	Probable(back)
17	Matt Cassel	vs. PIT	-
18	Trent Edwards	vs. SF	-
19	Tyler Thigpen	at OAK	-
20	Eli Manning	at WAS	-
21	Kyle Orton	at MIN	-
22	Kerry Collins	at DET	-
23	Jason Campbell	vs. NYG	-
24	Gus Frerotte	vs. CHI	-
25	Derek Anderson	vs. IND	-
26	Matt Hasselbeck	at DAL	Probable(back)
27	Jake Delhomme	at GB	-
28	Marc Bulger	vs. MIA	Probable(concussion)
29	JaMarcus Russell	vs. KC	-
30	Joe Flacco	at CIN	-
31	Daunte Culpepper	vs. TEN	-
32	Ryan Fitzpatrick	vs. BAL	-

Check out Rotoworld's Season Pass for projections for all the players listed here, plus playoff rankings and schedule analysis. And head to The Fantasy Fix homepage for our Thanksgiving day preview.

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